'Extremely disappointing': Chris Sununu slammed for saying he'd vote Trump even if ex-prez is convicted

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE: New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu stated Tuesday that if Donald Trump is the Republican nominee, he will vote for him even if he is a convicted felon.

In an interview with host Kaitlan Collins of CNN's 'The Source', when asked if he believed Donald Trump had the necessary character to be president, Governor Sununu said, “I think most of us will support the Republican nominee, no question. We need Biden to lose."

Despite being asked if he would vote for Trump even if he were a convicted felon, Sununu remained committed to his party, noting that most Americans appear to be in favor of Trump's policies and are likely to vote for him.

When pressed a bit more about his own voting intentions, Sununu reiterated his support for the Republican nominee, stating that he will "absolutely" support the nominee, regardless of any personal reservations he may have.

Governor Sununu, who has confirmed that he won't be seeking re-election, has come forward to defend Nikki Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina, whom he has endorsed.

Governor Sununu believes that Nikki Haley is the most capable Republican candidate to support down-ballot races.

He argues that her track record shows that she can win Senate seats and governorships, and can create more opportunities for states and the country to get things done.

What did Governor Sununu say in his CNN interview?

CNN anchor Collins questioned Gov Sununu on Trump by saying, “He is the front runner right now in this race by pretty wide margins, depending on which numbers you're looking at. Do you not think that they (DeSantis and Haley) should be able to say yes or no if the person who is right now beating them in this race has the character to be president again?”

Sununu replied, “Well, again, I think it's a nuanced question. I really do. These guys are focusing on earning the votes. They're not earning more votes by placating into an anti-Trump crowd per se.”

He explained, “Nikki Haley has to talk about what she's going to deliver. Build a pro-Haley crowd. Ron DeSantis is trying to do the same thing. He's trying to build that pro-Ron DeSantis crowd. So you don't do that just by tearing Donald Trump down 24/7.”

“Chris tried that; God bless him. He had kind of a one-state, one-issue strategy. It didn't work out. I applaud him. I think Chris is a good friend. He ran hard. It just didn't work out. It's not a winning strategy, especially when you're talking to the Republican base, the Republican base that just wants to see how we're going to galvanize the party together, how to bring the country together,” Sununu added.

“So, I think they did a great job focusing on where their focus needed to be to build their base and their support to have a strong showing in Iowa,” he stated. “And obviously, Nikki isn't just trying to have a strong showing in New Hampshire. She's on the verge of winning this state. So, it's a much different issue there as well. So that's what you have to do. You have to talk about yourself, grow your own support. You don't do that just by focusing on all the other candidates.”

Kaitlan Collins came back with, “Do you think that's a nuanced question to ask whether someone has the character to be president? I mean, do you think that Trump has the character to be president because you've endorsed someone else in this race?”

Sununu responded, “Look, I think most of us are all going to support the Republican nominee. There's no question. Because when it comes to the general elections and who's going to be President, you know, if it were Trump out there, let's remember he's running against Biden. We all need Biden to lose. This socialism, this Bidenomics, it's all a bunch of bull. It's destroying the American middle class. It's destroying the American economy. This is crushing families. That's, at the end of the day, what folks are going to be focused on.”

He added, “So I get where do the media wants to go with questions like that? But it's a trap that they're not necessarily going to fall into. It's a trap that isn't going to build their base. They're going to focus on themselves, and that should be expected.”

Collins further questioned, “One thing that Governor DeSantis brought up when he was asked about that tonight is he believes that Trump is going to be on trial. And he was talking about that being a distraction. But, governor, there's also a chance that the former president could be a convicted felon by the time people are voting. I mean, even if he's a convicted felon, if he is the Republican nominee, does that mean you're still going to vote for him?”

Sununu said, “Look, I think right now most of America looks like they would vote for him because he's winning. Biden is so bad that Trump is actually beating Biden in most polls. So most of America is right there. Yeah, I'm going to support the Republican nominee. Absolutely. Yeah. That shouldn't shock anybody. That shouldn't be surprising to anybody that the Republican governor and most, actually, of America is going to end up going against Biden because they need to see a change in this country.”

“I know. Again, have the issues around the election changed the dynamics of the Republican primary? No, that's not an issue with the Republican base right now. It's just not, and clearly not one that's holding the American public at large back. Because again, Trump is up one point,” he added.

Sununu continued, “I love Nikki Haley because she's up ten, fifteen points on Biden. She wins Senate seats and House seats and governorships and brings all of those other opportunities to the states and the country to actually get stuff done. But make no mistake about it, Biden is that bad of a president that even Trump would win.”

“You're saying he's that bad of a president that even Trump would win, even if Trump is a convicted felon?” Collins asked the governor again.

Sununu said in conclusion, “Yes. The polls say yes. People know that. Guys, the four court cases that are out there, we'll see kind of where they are. But right now, they're not playing into whether folks would vote for Trump or not. I'm as surprised at that as you. But that's just where it is right now. That's a fact. Look at the polls. The data is clear. And it's not just one poll. It's poll after poll after poll that shows that Trump would be kind of at least within that margin of error. It would be a nail-biter, to be sure.”

“Now, some of these other candidates, like Nikki, they're going to win by double digits. And that's a fundamental difference. That means you actually get stuff done again. You know, you can talk about those issues as much as you want, but it's not what the American public is looking at. Maybe what the media is talking about, but not what the American voters are looking at right now,” he stated.

Internet slams Gov Sununu for unabashed support of Donald Trump

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu sparked outrage online as users on X criticized him for cowering in front of the MAGA strongman.

One X user remarked, "What an extremely disappointing man."

Another user said, "The party of law and order will vote for a convicted felon. That’s where we are."

Someone else wrote, "Republicans really do like criminals."

One user remarked, "Chris has proven he's a bad, bad judge of character."

Another stated, "We live in a sick and sad country."

Someone else said, "Lie lie and lie again. The GOP playbook. Polls only show really white old voters. Millennials, gen z, and gen alpha don’t answer those calls or hang up on them. Stop reporting on polls cause they’re inaccurate."

One user quipped, "Don’t worry folks. It’s not a cult."

Another tweeted, "Thank you for continuing to press him for the answer. What a disappointment. Not surprised, but what a disappointment."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.